Pirates fire Derek Shelton after 38 games in first manager axing of MLB season

Things are not going well in Pittsburgh.

The first MLB firing of the season is now in the books with the Pirates moving on from Derek Shelton amid a 12-26 start in his sixth season with the team, the franchise announced Thursday.

Derek Shelton did not lead the Pirates to any winning seasons. AP

Bench coach Don Kelly has been elevated to manager.

Shelton, 54, coached the Pirates to a 306-440 record during his tenure, with Pittsburgh never topping 76 wins in any campaign.

“Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change,” Pirates owner Bob Nutting said in a statement. “The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us. We have to do better. I know that. (General manager) Ben (Cherington) knows that. Our coaches know that. Our players know that.

“There is a lot of baseball left to be played. We need to act with a sense of urgency and take the steps necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a team and organization.”